


A Shadow of a Shadow

by unappetizingegg



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Gen, No Smut, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), he's actually great i promise, i know phil is a mess in the smp but hear me out, totally a great swell guy i'm serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28622139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unappetizingegg/pseuds/unappetizingegg
Summary: There were a few beats of silence, and then- “What are your plans, now? Do you need a place to stay?”That caught him off guard. Surely he’d heard incorrectly. Phil was offering him a home, right after he’d orchestrated the destruction of his past one? It didn’t make any sense, none of it did. Why would Phil say that?Then he remembered, he remembered Techno stopping him in the fight. He remembered being handed his book, the question in Techno’s gaze. He swore, in that moment, Technoblade, the Technoblade, had been worried about him. He remembered that he had been told to leave, to run, to get away and preserve himself. He had spared him, he remembered that Techno had spared him.Techno had helped him. Phil had tried to protect him, to get him away from the danger.They were there for him.alternatively:Ranboo is alone. But he really isn't.
Relationships: Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 475





	1. PART 1 - Searching

**Author's Note:**

> Here *shoves some Ranboo finding a new family and place to belong in your face*
> 
> This will be a two part series. Keep an eye out for the next chapter :)

I can’t go back anymore.

_ You can. You must. _

I can’t. They all hate me now. They all know I’m a traitor.

_ They are your friends. They are the people who are your friends. _

No.

_ Tubbo already accepted you again. He wants you, he needs your help. _

He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t need my help. None of them have ever actually wanted me there. I’m just there because I chose to be. They didn’t choose me.

The wind was almost unbearably cold, but he didn’t even notice it as it bit at his nose and cheeks and mussed up his hair. His head was screaming at him and it wouldn’t shut up, he couldn’t get Him to go away. He’d been trying to get Him to shut up for over an hour, unsuccessfully. He could hardly even feel his body anymore, so caught up in the screaming match in his head.

He was particularly loud today, and it only made sense. He’d just watched his new home be blown to smithereens. He still was processing the fact that it was all just… gone. A crater in the world where L’manberg had once been.

His home. His house was gone. The only place he could remember in these lands, it had been destroyed. Torn apart to prove a point, a point he didn’t even disagree with. His  _ friends _ had done that. He wasn’t sure he could call any of them his friends anymore.

And now here he was, just sat still. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t, because if he did, then they’d make him choose again. How could he choose? He couldn’t.

_ Not choosing a side is still a side. You are still on a side. There will always be conflict. _

No. I choose myself here. I choose myself. I am a person, I am real.

_ Keep telling yourself that. You are still making choices, you are still creating sides, forcing division. There will always be conflict. _

He heard his name being said. For a second, he was sure it was Him, but then he became aware of the movement in front of his face. His face, right, of course, his real life face, and the voice in his ears. Someone was talking to him. Someone was in front of him, waving their hands in front of his face, saying his name slowly, trying to get his attention.

_ Phil. _

“Phil.”

He watched as the man jumped at his sudden acknowledgment, his worried eyes softening a little, “Jesus, mate, you scared me a bit there. Thought you were brain dead or something. Jesus christ. You okay, mate?”

How the hell was he supposed to answer that? Ah yes, Phil, I’m just fine, just having a conversation with the man who lives in my head, you know, like a normal person does. I’m sure you do it all the time, Phil.

Phil. He was talking to Phil. The same Phil who had blown up his home, the homes and houses of all his other friends. Phil.

“I’ll take that as a no,” the man said, cutting through the thoughts that were swarming his brain again, “What are you doing just sat here? This isn’t the best place to be, right now.”

He looked around. He was sitting on the ground, on a slope that overlooked L’manberg, or what was left of the country anyways. The smoking crater was only a few feet away, and he was dangerously close to the edge. He hadn’t even thought about it when he’d first plopped down here, too preoccupied with the argument he was having with himself to notice.

“I… I don’t know. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Phil said, his voice soft and his features kind. He looked so caring and worried and in that moment, Ranboo just wanted to cry. He wanted to sob and let it all out, but he forced himself to remain composed.

There were a few beats of silence, and then- “What are your plans, now? Do you need a place to stay?”

That caught him off guard. Surely he’d heard incorrectly. Phil was offering him a home, right after he’d orchestrated the destruction of his past one? It didn’t make any sense, none of it did. Why would Phil say that?

Then he  _ remembered _ , he remembered Techno stopping him in the fight. He remembered being handed his book, the question in Techno’s gaze. He swore, in that moment, Technoblade,  _ the _ Technoblade, had been worried about him. He remembered that he had been told to leave, to run, to get away and preserve himself. He had spared him, he remembered that Techno had spared him.

Techno had helped him. Phil had tried to protect him, to get him away from the danger.

They were there for him.

A whirlwind of conflicting emotions flooded through his brain. Why had they done that for him? Why had Techno preserved his book of memories, the book he used to keep everything safe, the book that had betrayed him and exposed him as a traitor to L’manberg? He couldn’t understand it, he couldn’t understand why they had wanted the country gone so badly, and why they’d saved him, a citizen of that country. It didn’t make any sense.

“Ranboo?”

“Hm?” He hummed, blinking his eyes again to refocus. Right, Phil had asked him a question.

“I asked if you need somewhere to stay. Techno and I had a chat, he said…” there was a pause and he watched the man in front of him think hard, choosing his next words carefully, “He had a feeling you might need some help. He just gets these feelings sometimes. Do you? We can figure something out, if you need a place.”

Did he? Yes. But also… no, he did need help. And it was being offered to him. And he liked Phil, and they’d both helped him today. Phil was the only one who had come and found him, who had sought him out and checked on him. “Yes. I do. Please.”

There was that kind smile again, the one that made him want to just start crying. The one that made him feel safe. A hand was extended out to him, and as he hesitated to grab it, Phil said, “Come on then, let’s go home.”

That was all he wanted.

He was pulled to his feet, awkwardly shuffling as he waited for the man to lead the way. Of course he knew where they were off too, but he felt off being the one to start the journey. It wasn’t technically his home, at least not yet, and he really shouldn’t know the directions to Techno’s base off by heart. He’d been an enemy of the state, but he’d visited the base many times despite knowing this. It felt wrong to just be casually invited to stay there.

As they began to walk away, he turned and looked back at the crater, his steps slowing. He noticed Phil had slowed next to him, and when he looked over, he saw that he was being watched. “It’s time for a new start, I’d say,” Phil said, giving him a small smile. He could see the guilt written all over his face.

“Yeah. I guess.”

“Did you lose much in the explosion?”

He nodded. “Yeah. All my stuff. My pets, they’re… they’re okay.”

“You evacuated them?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

He looked at what was left of L’manberg one final time, before allowing himself to turn and start the walk, Phil at his side. As they walked, the man asked, “That book, the one Techno had, what is it? I know it’s important, we knew that, but is it… I don’t know. What is it?”

He tried to think of how to explain it best, “I have problems with remembering thing, I can never quite remember it all, so I write things down. I keep track of stuff. I write down all my friends and what they’ve done for me.” He gripped the book in his hand, pulling it from his pocket and shuffling through the pages. When he found the one he was looking for, he turned it to Phil, “See, I wrote down that you saved me from that lava pit. I’ll never forget that I owe you, now. I do the same for other people, I just… I keep everything here. That’s why I don’t want people reading it.”

“Well, no worries about that, we’ll keep to ourselves,” Phil reassured him as they approached the destroyed community house, “I’ll let Techno know not to snoop when I see him next. He’s gone right now, out on some sort of journey, I’m not quite sure. He tends to just disappear for a few days at a time, try not to mind him.”

As they approached the portal, Ranboo slowed, his eyes flickering over to find Phil’s when the man turned to look at him in confusion, “You’re sure he’s okay with me being there? I don’t want to intrude. Sorry, I just…”

“He’s fine with it, trust me,” Phil replied, gesturing him forward again, “I wouldn’t lie to you. I know Techno is intimidating and a bit difficult to get to know, but he already likes you more than you might realize. He was the one who brought up you possibly staying with us, not me.”

That was a shock to Ranboo. “Really?”

“Yup. He’s not good with words. You’ll learn, with time, that his actions speak louder anyways.”

He nodded. He wasn’t going to complain. “Alright. I trust you, Phil. You’ve always been kind to me.”

Phil smiled. “I’m glad. Now come on, let’s go make you a home.”


	2. PART 2 - Finding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long overdo second part, sorry for taking so long with this one. This plot happened so long ago now. Hope you all still enjoy!

He’d known Techno’s house had been nice, as he’d visited many times before, but he’d never realized just how comfortable it was.

He’d been staying there for a few days, while Phil built him a smaller place a little ways away. He’d offered his help, but as expected, had been turned down. Phil always liked to build things the way he wanted to, and he knew he’d just be getting in the way if he inserted himself into the plans.

He was sat in the small living space, only fit for two people max, a cup of broth in both hands as he stared sullenly at the wall. It was amazing to just get to breathe again, to enjoy the quiet. L’manberg had its charms, but the silence of the snowy woods that Techno and Phil lived in was so much more appealing to him.

The sound of the door banging open almost sent him flying.

He steadied himself and looked around with wide eyes. Phil never entered that way, he was always cool and calm and very much collected. So who-

He stared at Technoblade, who was standing before him, the usual pig skull mask covering his face and golden crown atop his head. His robe was drawn tight around him, to keep him warm, fending off the avalanche of snow that fell from the sky. His hair was tied back in a loose, messy braid, flecks of snow latching onto the strands and soaking them through.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Techno said, “I see Phil found you.”

“Yes.” He stood slowly, setting the warm cup in his hands down, “I… He found me. Sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”

“Shut up. Sit.”

He sat so quickly he was sure he’d been standing one moment and then on the chair the next. His hand curled around the arm rests, picking at the fabric unknowingly as his eyes flitted around the room, trying to find something to look at. He forced himself to take in a deep breath, holding the air in his lungs for a few seconds before blowing it out noisily.

“Relax,” Techno huffed as he pulled off his cloak, kneeling to untie his boots, “If I meant you any harm, you would have been dead the moment I walked in here. You’re fine.”

“Right. Very relaxing.”

“It should be. I just stated that I, in fact, have no intention to kill you. Promise.”

It did sort of make sense, when he thought about it. Still unsettling.

He glanced over at Techno, and his jaw dropped as he watched the man loosen his mask, before drawing it away from his face entirely. The stranger beneath the mask had a few marks and scars littering his pale face, deep and shallow, bright and faded. Apart from that, he appeared… normal. His jaw sharp, his eyes too, his gaze relaxed, almost bored, indifferent. He didn’t look the hardened warrior that the mask made him, he looked much softer. More human.

Ranboo then realized he very often forgot that Techno was human.

“Stop staring at me like that or I’ll reconsider my promise.”

He went red instantly, turning away, eyes downcast, “Sorry, sorry. I just haven’t seen your face before.”

“Ah. I see. Well here I am.”

There were a few minutes of silence as Techno walked around the room and straightened a few things up, checking his chests and storage. Ranboo was sure he was checking to see if he’d been stealing, which he’d been carefully avoiding doing as he knew Techno was the sort of man to keep a strict eye on his belongings, only taking what Phil had offered him. He tried to just be quiet and sip his drink, doing his best to not follow Techno’s every move with his eyes.

He looked away when the man straightened back up with a sigh, and turned to him. He could feel him staring, the hairs on the back of Ranboo’s neck standing up and a shiver wracking his body. Finally, Techno spoke, “The book, that ‘Do not read’ one.”

“Hm?”

“What was that?”

Ranboo paused. He thought hard about what he wanted to reveal, and decided to just stick to the generic, honest answer like he’d given Phil, “I use it to keep all my memories. I write down all my friends, otherwise I forget. If I’d lost this… I, just thank you so much, for returning it to me. I would have been in so much trouble.”

He watched as Techno sat in the other arm chair, facing him, “It keeps you memories? Do you need to read it often?”

“Everyday. Otherwise I forget it all.”

“That sucks. I have my own ways of remembering things.”

“What… what do you mean?”

“Voices in my head. They tell me things.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened dramatically. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, blood rushing through his head. There was no way, no way Techno had the same problem as him.

He heard voices?

“You hear voices?”

Techno nodded slowly, his eyes sliding over to look at Ranboo, who quickly dropped the eye contact. His stomach flipped. “Yes.” There was a beat, and then, “You sound like you might as well.”

He was surprised by how observant Technoblade was, but perhaps he shouldn’t have been, “How did you-”

“Just the way you asked. And you’ll zone out sometimes. I know how it is. I used to get distracted by them too. How long?”

Ranboo shrugged, not sure how to answer that, “Since I can remember.”

“Which isn’t very long, is it.”

“Right. Yeah. It’s never been this bad, this loud.”

“Hm.”

There was a bout of silence, in which Ranboo stared at the floor. He’d never revealed that He existed to anyone else, but with Techno saying what he had, there was a chance he’d found the one person who might understand. The one person here who could relate to him.

“Do they bother you much?”

He shrugged a little, “It’s just one.”

“Lucky. Mine are constantly screaming and yelling at me.” There was a fragment of humour in Techno’s tone, “They say some weird stuff. It’s like a hive mind. I’ve gotten good at ignoring them, though, I don’t listen to them very much anymore.”

That got Ranboo’s attention, “You don’t?”

“No, because I don’t need to. Sometimes I’ll follow along to get them to shut up. Sometimes.”

Ranboo wished it was that simple for him.

“They told me about you, by the way, that you needed help.”

He looked up again, completely taken aback, “What? How?”

“I don’t know. They know things I don’t, sometimes. I told Phil and clearly he took it seriously because here you are now.” Techno’s slightly smile melted away very suddenly and he leaned in, “He’s the only other person who knows. I trust you to keep it that way.”

“You trust me?”

The man scoffed at that, pushing off the counter, “No. No, I do not. I don’t trust you one bit. But you’ve proven to me that you mean no harm to either of us, even when you’ve caused it. The people who truly hurt me are the ones who do so on purpose. Plus, Phil likes you, a lot. I like to see him happy.”

“I like him, too. He saved my life.”

“He told me that.” Techno’s voice dropped even lower, his face growing extremely serious, “There are very few people in this world like Phil. He’s one of few who will care about you as much as you care about him. Treasure that, don’t throw it away. You can’t lose him. He will be loyal to you in every way he can if you do the same for him.”

There was a warning in Techno’s tone, Ranboo realized, and he shivered, but nodded regardless.

Then a thought popped into his head; Techno clearly cared about Phil. He had always thought that all the man cared about was himself, and would do anything to anyone to achieve what he wanted, but he clearly had a soft spot for his longest friend. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Techno valued loyalty and honesty above all else. He stuck with the people who shared similar beliefs as him and helped them as much as he could, shared with them, contributed to their success. He wanted them to succeed.

That was something they shared in common.

Ranboo cared for people, his friends, not the values they held. Of course if they ever crossed any hard lines for him, he’d have to reconsider, but now Techno’s decision to destroy an entire country almost made sense. He’d been allied with those people, friends with them, put all his trust in them, only for them to not be transparent with him and betray him before his very eyes, in plain sight. He had been honest and forthcoming for the second he was in communication with them, and still they had ignored what he’d said and used him as a weapon. He’d put his heart and soul into their little revolution, spending weeks preparing resources for them all, only for them to go against his word at the very last moment.

But no, it was worse than that. They’d planned to go against him from the start. They’d lied to him.

Ranboo didn’t really like liars that much either. Ranboo liked it when people told him the truth, when his friends were honest with him.

Could he really be anything like this murderous, destructive man?

He’d always gotten along with him, despite his fear of him. He thought Techno was funny, and when him and Tommy had been allied, he’d watched them bicker and fight like brothers. It was clear in those moments that Techno valued Tommy’s presence, his input and feelings on things, even if he played it all off with an air of vague annoyance.

And just a few days ago, Techno had put his life at risk to help Tommy, to keep his ally safe. He cared about Tommy, he  _ had _ cared about him.

He didn’t care about the discs. The material possessions that so many people put their entire worth into.

Techno cared about people. Just like him.

“You’re right.” He concurred after a long period of silence between them. “I do value that, you know.”

“Hm?”

“Loyalty. Honesty. That’s what you care about, right?”

Techno’s eyes narrowed a bit, “I care about freedom, Ranboo. I care about people making the choices that they want to make. I care about being able to do what I want.”

“But when it comes to people, specifically people you know, you care about transparency,” he argued back, sure he was right, “That’s why you and Phil work so well. He’s not afraid to be honest with you. I get it now.”

“You have a point. But I also think some people are just too stupid to know how to be honest. Because they don’t know the truth themself. Phil is not that. I learned everything I know from him.” Techno rapped his fingers on the table once, twice, then- “He took me in when I was much younger, a teenager, kept me safe. Taught me to fend for myself. I owe him all I am.”

“I owe him as well. Thank you, by the way, for… you know. All this. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“You’ll show your worth in time. Don’t go bothering me much, I’ve already had one obnoxiously loud child betray me in the past few days.”

“I won’t. I won’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a final note: I understand this is wildly out of character for dsmp!Techno, but I sort of combined his IRL characteristics with his canon personality. Hopefully that make sense. I know he would never reveal the voices to Ranboo, or be this chummy with him, but IRL Techno loves to joke around and have his fun, so I wanted to include that to an extent.

**Author's Note:**

> yes i just love phil. and techno, but i really love phil. so here's me hyping my man up even though his smp character is admittedly horribly flawed and very undeveloped. idc i'll write the development for him.


End file.
